Sometimes you can pinpoint a theme to a year of filmmaking. In 1963, oddly enough, the theme was sibling incest. In 1964, the theme seemed to be heartless cads with beautiful women in their beds. Youngblood Hawke, The Carpetbaggers, The Empty Canvas, and Of Human Bondage all follow that pattern. I think we have Paul Newman to thank for the influx. He personified the bad boy with Daddy issues, without a conscience, and the women flocked to him. But since he could only be in so many movies at one time, other actors had to fill in.
To see George Peppard in a tailor-made Paul Newman role, check out The Carpetbaggers. He's despicable through and through, treating everyone in his life like less worthy of his time and feelings than yesterday's garbage. He badgers his father with insults until he drops dead of a heart attack, he treats women like prostitutes, buys everyone and everything in sight, and even turns on his nearest and dearest friends. Based on the bestselling (and incredibly nasty) novel that created a fictional version of Howard Hughes, the protagonist in The Carpetbaggers corners the market on air travel and Hollywood. While it's fun to see the stunning cars of the 1920s and the beautiful gowns, it's a little jarring to see every woman sporting a 1960s haircut while they're in them. Still, this movie is as soapy and melodramatic as it gets. It's a cross between Citizen Kane and The Young Philadelphians, with all the sex-crazed mania of the 1960s.
Carroll Baker plays Rina Marlowe, an obvious stereotype of Jean Harlow - whom she portrayed in the following year's biopic! Nearly everything out her mouth is downright filthy, and quite frankly some of it is disgusting. She wears a see-through black negligee, throws herself at George more times than I can count, and admits she likes to be treated rough. If you like seeing real-life romances on screen, you'll be more interested in George's other love interest: Elizabeth Ashley, whom he married after this movie.
Alan Ladd, Bob Cummings, Lew Ayres, Elizabeth Ashley, and Martin Balsam make up the supporting cast. Lew has a subtle, overlooked role, but he's very believable as a faithful employee who gets more tired and disgusted through the years. Bob is great as a slippery, self-serving theatrical agent. Martin is a silent film director who gets treated rudely (big surprise) by George. Everyone knows about the casting couch, so why would George throw a hissy fit and break expensive film equipment right in the middle of a take just because he knows Martin's sleeping with the lead actress? They don't have the relationship they had in Breakfast at Tiffany's.
This movie marks the last appearance of Alan Ladd, who tragically died before the film's release of an accidental overdose of alcohol and sleeping pills. I'd never really been a fan of his, but I absolutely loved him in The Carpetbaggers. It's the best performance he ever gave, playing a real life cowboy who finds fame and fortune playing one in silent pictures. He has heart and a past we're dying to explore (hence the prequel Nevada Smith released two years later), and it's very cute to see him playing an old cowboy movie star. He also shows he's not too old to tackle a love scene or two, and an extremely exciting fistfight - which is my favorite part of the movie.
Most of this film is very soapy and banks on the sensational, but a few scenes are wracked with real tension, like the battle of the wits with Martin Balsam and Bob Cummings's cunning negotiations. If you've never seen a George Peppard movie, hold off on it, though. You'll absolutely hate him forever. He's so heartless, cruel, and unconscionable, it's almost hard to watch. But if you're just in the market to see Carroll Baker's body or Alan Ladd's last movie, you'll be a very happy camper.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. The opening credits and first few minutes show a wobbly camera as an airplane's POV, and that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to sexual content, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.
To see George Peppard in a tailor-made Paul Newman role, check out The Carpetbaggers. He's despicable through and through, treating everyone in his life like less worthy of his time and feelings than yesterday's garbage. He badgers his father with insults until he drops dead of a heart attack, he treats women like prostitutes, buys everyone and everything in sight, and even turns on his nearest and dearest friends. Based on the bestselling (and incredibly nasty) novel that created a fictional version of Howard Hughes, the protagonist in The Carpetbaggers corners the market on air travel and Hollywood. While it's fun to see the stunning cars of the 1920s and the beautiful gowns, it's a little jarring to see every woman sporting a 1960s haircut while they're in them. Still, this movie is as soapy and melodramatic as it gets. It's a cross between Citizen Kane and The Young Philadelphians, with all the sex-crazed mania of the 1960s.
Carroll Baker plays Rina Marlowe, an obvious stereotype of Jean Harlow - whom she portrayed in the following year's biopic! Nearly everything out her mouth is downright filthy, and quite frankly some of it is disgusting. She wears a see-through black negligee, throws herself at George more times than I can count, and admits she likes to be treated rough. If you like seeing real-life romances on screen, you'll be more interested in George's other love interest: Elizabeth Ashley, whom he married after this movie.
Alan Ladd, Bob Cummings, Lew Ayres, Elizabeth Ashley, and Martin Balsam make up the supporting cast. Lew has a subtle, overlooked role, but he's very believable as a faithful employee who gets more tired and disgusted through the years. Bob is great as a slippery, self-serving theatrical agent. Martin is a silent film director who gets treated rudely (big surprise) by George. Everyone knows about the casting couch, so why would George throw a hissy fit and break expensive film equipment right in the middle of a take just because he knows Martin's sleeping with the lead actress? They don't have the relationship they had in Breakfast at Tiffany's.
This movie marks the last appearance of Alan Ladd, who tragically died before the film's release of an accidental overdose of alcohol and sleeping pills. I'd never really been a fan of his, but I absolutely loved him in The Carpetbaggers. It's the best performance he ever gave, playing a real life cowboy who finds fame and fortune playing one in silent pictures. He has heart and a past we're dying to explore (hence the prequel Nevada Smith released two years later), and it's very cute to see him playing an old cowboy movie star. He also shows he's not too old to tackle a love scene or two, and an extremely exciting fistfight - which is my favorite part of the movie.
Most of this film is very soapy and banks on the sensational, but a few scenes are wracked with real tension, like the battle of the wits with Martin Balsam and Bob Cummings's cunning negotiations. If you've never seen a George Peppard movie, hold off on it, though. You'll absolutely hate him forever. He's so heartless, cruel, and unconscionable, it's almost hard to watch. But if you're just in the market to see Carroll Baker's body or Alan Ladd's last movie, you'll be a very happy camper.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. The opening credits and first few minutes show a wobbly camera as an airplane's POV, and that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to sexual content, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.